Meaning & use
finagle
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
To get something you want by cleverness, charm, or slightly sneaky tricks rather than by the usual route.
Grammar: Takes an object and often an indirect one: she finagled us a table.
Patterns
- finagle something
- finagle something out of someone
- finagle someone something
He finagled a free upgrade by chatting up the gate agent.
Somehow she finagled two tickets to the sold-out game.
I managed to finagle an extra week off without telling the whole story.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformaldisapproving
To work your way around a rule or situation by trickery or deceit.
Grammar: Can take an object, or stand alone with a way: he finagled his way in.
Patterns
- finagle your way into something
- finagle your way out of something
The contractor finagled his way out of paying the fine.
They finagled the numbers so the report looked better.
Don't try to finagle your way past the security desk.
Word forms
| third person singular | finagles |
|---|---|
| past tense | finagled |
| past participle | finagled |
| -ing form | finagling |
Common combinations
- finagle a deal
- My uncle can finagle a deal on almost anything.
- finagle your way into
- She finagled her way into the private reception.
- finagle an invitation
- He finagled an invitation to the party.
- finagle a discount
- They finagled a discount by mentioning a competitor.
- finagle the books
- The clerk was accused of finagling the books.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wangle
- Wangle is the closest match and is more common in British English, with the same cheerfully sly tone.
- wrangle
- Wrangle suggests persuading or arguing something out of someone, while finagle leans on cleverness.
- swindle
- Swindle is clearly criminal and means cheating people out of money, which is far stronger than finagle.
- manipulate
- Manipulate is more formal and neutral, and it is about handling people or things rather than scoring a favor.
Opposites
Word family
- finagler noun
- a person who finagles
- finagling noun
- clever or slightly dishonest maneuvering
Commonly confused: finagle or finesse?
finagle vs finesse
Finesse means skilful, delicate handling and is usually admired, while finagle suggests bending the rules.
Practice
My cousin always seems to ___ a free meal whenever the group goes out.
Choose one answer.
Finagle fits getting something for free by clever tricks. Finesse is about skilful handling and does not take a meal this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “finagle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.